Cool Yoga Tricks by Miriam Austin.

By Phil Catalfo
, Aug 28, 2007

Ballantine Books.

The author of the surprise best-sellers Yoga for Wimps (Sterling, 2000) and Meditation for Wimps (Sterling, 2003) returns with a similarly user-friendly primer, this one providing not party stunts (as the title might imply) but easily doable modifications (employing props or walls) that will allow experienced beginners to enhance their yoga practice with a minimum of fuss and risk. Miriam Austin's many years of teaching experience translate into accessible, nonmysterious techniques for a wide range of poses (supporting knees that won't quite lie flat in Lotus Pose with blankets; using straps, blocks, chairs, or a helpful friend to deepen the twist in Triangle). These techniques are well illustrated in photos of a nicely heterogeneous group of models who will inspire the less nimble among us to continue striving. "Because it is a practice, you don't have to be perfect," Austin writes. This guide will be of great help to readers aiming to achieve not perfection but greater depth and contentment in their practice.